Ex-England coach: Rugby and NFL can learn from each other

— -- Following his visit with the NFL's  Atlanta Falcons to pass on his expertise in tackling techniques last month, ex-England rugby coach Stuart Lancaster believes coaches of his sport and those of American football can learn from each other.

Lancaster was invited to spend time with the Falcons after he met Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff at a coaching conference in Los Angeles. He spent three days with the Falcons during their mid-June minicamp at the team's training facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia.

"The intensity between top-level international rugby and NFL is similar," Lancaster told ESPN. "There are some differences in the basic nature of the sport; however, there are a lot more similarities in terms of the tackling and physicality. We can learn a lot from NFL, and vice versa."

Similarities between American football and rugby have been explored before. The Seattle Seahawks, with whom Quinn was defensive coordinator before joining the Falcons last year, have championed rugby's tackling techniques as a way to avoid dangerous contact to the head.

Lancaster, who left England in the wake of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, is an admirer of American football, and his coaching philosophy has been influenced by Bill Walsh's leadership guide, "The Score Takes Care of Itself."

Part of Lancaster's mission with the Falcons was to explain how he feels American football can learn from rugby. His primary focus was on tackling, specifically on driving through the collision and head placement.

"A lot of the tackles in American football are very similar to rugby," Lancaster said. "Having seen what we do in rugby, they identified a few areas which will help them improve in their own technique.

"We talked about footwork into contact, making sure you get your head the right side of the tackle and winning the last meter, so dominating the collision. In American football, as soon as the knee touches the floor, the tackle is complete. But in rugby, we focus more on hitting and completing the tackle, and that's an area they were interested in."

Lancaster passed on his knowledge first to the Falcons' coaches, and he finished the visit by presenting to the whole playing and management group. The presentation covered what Lancaster learned from his time in charge of England and focused on getting the players to understand their responsibility in driving the culture alongside the coaches.

"In a rugby game, they are tackling constantly so we thought there was a lot to gain from Stuart," Quinn said in a press release. "He came in and we spent a good bit of time talking tackling, what drills to use and if there's a crossover that we use from our game that he can use, and something from his game that we might be able to use."

Lancaster also analyzed last season's game between the Falcons and Washington Redskins from a rugby point of view, looking at the tackling from a performance and safety perspective.

His time with the Falcons was an eye-opener and a mutually beneficial exercise. Lancaster was left hugely impressed by the athletic ability of the Falcons' players, especially wide receiver Julio Jones, and the intensity of their training.

Lancaster, who helped set up the new professional rugby league in America, feels heading forward that players who fail to make the cut in NFL should consider looking to rugby -- and perhaps reversing the path Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne traveled last year, when he joined the San Francisco 49ers.

For Lancaster, he is waiting for his next challenge in rugby but is enjoying learning from various sports. He has spent time with British Olympian Ben Ainslie's sailing team, and he will draw on the experience of seeing firsthand what the Falcons do.

"I was really impressed by the attention to detail they put into training, the organization and efficiency of the session, and they put a big emphasis on real-time decision-making," Lancaster said. "At the training ground, they can simulate different scenarios for the offensive and defensive team to play against each other.

"The energy in how they conducted their meetings was impressive. And the quality of coaching from the assistant coaches, as well as the head coach, was excellent."